lumirhodopsin

protein

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June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Lumirhodopsin is a transient intermediate in the process of phototransduction, which is how the human eye converts light energy into electrical signals. It is formed when rhodopsin, the light-sensitive pigment in the eye's rod cells, absorbs a photon of light.

Rhodopsin is a protein composed of an opsin molecule and a chromophore called retinal. When light strikes rhodopsin, the retinal molecule changes shape, initiating a cascade of chemical reactions. Lumirhodopsin is one of the very first unstable products of this light-induced change. It quickly converts into other intermediate forms before eventually leading to the generation of a nerve impulse that the brain interprets as vision. This process allows even a single photon of light to trigger a response in the eye.12

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human eye
The transduction process
…°C (−220 °F) prelumirhodopsin becomes lumirhodopsin, with a slightly different colour; on warming further, successive changes are permitted until finally retinal is split off from the opsin to give a yellow solution. The important point to appreciate is that only at this stage is the chromatophore group split off; the…
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…°C (−220 °F) prelumirhodopsin becomes lumirhodopsin, with a slightly different colour; on warming further, successive changes are permitted until finally retinal is split off from the opsin to give a yellow solution. The important point to appreciate is that only at this stage is the chromatophore group split off; the…
Read More